BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday approved death sentence and life-imprisonment for those found guilty of selling illicit liquor if it claims lives. This comes in the wake of 11 hooch deaths in Mandsaur and five in Indore due to spurious liquor last week.
Spurious liquor has claimed over 50 lives in the state in around 10 months. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had on Monday said that the state was drafting tougher laws to tackle the illicit liquor trade.
A day later, the Chouhanled cabinet gave its approval to amend Madhya Pradesh Excise Act to include provisions for life term and death sentence in hooch death cases.
Home minister Narottam Mishra told mediapersons that MP is the first to make such a law, and that the amendment bill will be tabled in assembly in the monsoon session next week. The Bihar prohibition law also has provision of death penalty and in 2016, nine members of a family were sentenced to hang in a hooch tragedy that claimed 19 lives and blinded two persons.
Mishra: Amendment will discourage people from criminal activities
If proven that a person’s death occurred after consuming illicit liquor, then the punishment now is life term or even death,” the home minister said. “Previously, the punishment was five-10 years’ imprisonment. In addition, the fine has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. If the health of a person is adversely affected due to spurious liquor, then the seller can be punished with imprisonment of 10-14 years, plus a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh. The punishment earlier was from one to six years,” minister Mishra said.
Some of the survivors of the recent Mandsaur hooch tragedy have been left with debilitating conditions, including complete blindness.
“This amendment is being brought about to discourage people from such criminal activities. They will not play with the lives of others. No one has the right to take anyone else’s life,” he said, adding that the amendment bill makes provisions to arrest, without a warrant, anyone who tries to stop police, administration and excise department from taking action against hooch manufacturers.
However, former chief minister and LOP Kamal Nath cautioned that laws alone cannot end the illicit liquor trade. “Mafia will not end just by making laws. What is extremely important is the implementation of these laws. The government’s dedicated willingness for implementation should be seen. It has been speaking about formulating strict laws for the protection of sisters and daughters for years. But even today, sisters and daughters are not safe in the state,” Nath tweeted.
